Cleveland Indians: Yan Gomes looking to stay hot at the plate

Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes had a great game Tuesday night, and is looking to continue that in the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cleveland Indians are looking for another series victory tonight in Toronto after a 6-0 win over the Blue Jays Tuesday night.

Carlos Carrasco pitched a gem and the offense came through with six runs, providing a nice change of pace from the usual sight of Indians pitchers not having much room to work with.

The biggest boost came from Yan Gomes, who hit a three-run home run in the eighth that sealed the victory for the Indians. He is once again in the lineup tonight in the series finale.

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Gomes went 2-for-3 out of the ninth spot in the order Tuesday night, drawing a walk and hitting that big home run. His batting average is now up to .239, the highest it has been all year.

The catcher got off to a slow start in April, but he is 7-for-16 in May, and has drawn four walks compared to just one strikeout. In April, he had only five walks to go along with 12 strikeouts.

A more patient Gomes makes him much more effective at the plate and now sees him appearing in the seventh spot in the order. Last night’s performance likely wasn’t the only reason he moved up, as he has been steadily improving since April ended.

Gomes doesn’t need to be a .300 hitter, but he was getting dangerously close to being too ineffective to keep in the lineup when the year began. A struggling Roberto Perez helped keep Gomes in the starting role, but that poor play couldn’t continue.

But after going 9-for-51 in April, Gomes has turned the corner and last night’s performance may have been the big game he needed to turn his season around.

Next: Indians minor league review for April

The key for him will be to keep up the great play, and fans will see if he can do just that tonight as the Indians look to give Blue Jays fans further flashbacks of the 2016 ALCS.